Pietro Marcantoni decided to take a 1980’s garage and turn it into his home.
The result: A gorgeous Industrial style home for him and his dog, Max.
Designer: Pietro Marcantoni
Location: Nicolosi, Catania, Sicily, Italy
Size: 130 m² (1.400 ft²)
Photos by Maria Aloisi
The designer’s main goals for this project were clear from the start; to design an industrial inspired home, without killing the essence of the original purpose of the space, while having fun + zero risks.
It is so evident that he did so, he even didn’t remove the drainage pipes that are coming down from the ceiling, he merely coated them (zinc plates). He didn’t add any walls, just a few iron framed glass windows (that he designed) to divide the space up while letting it breathe.
He even used recycled or re-purposed items as furniture or decorations, like that glass coffee table that he found at a building site. (Kudos in my books).
The designer had eclectic interests, and he made sure he featured that in his home, he collected objects that once belonged to experts in fields he was interested in or passionate about. For example the bike shown in the image above (a custom-made Benotto: Steel Vintage Bike) is bartered from an owner that was reluctant to sell, yet he got his way and featured it in his work space.
Moving around his open space home, it is really noticeable how the space hasn’t lost its garage properties; the ceilings are lower that in average houses but he took care of that by providing large rectangular windows, bright color palettes, and white floors, walls, and ceiling.
If you take a look at the TV console, you’ll notice that it’s carved from wood; he sourced it from the village where his home is to add a simple bare piece of nature to his home ( carved out of a block of Chestnut wood local to Etna).
True to his eclectic and casual personality, the designer created a home where his guests would feel welcome and relaxed; informal. The kitchen is warm, comfortable, and open to the rest of the space.
Marcantoni designed the bar himself, but not in a “calculated” way; the yellow light fixture above the bar was picked because he fell in love with it when he saw it in a Sicilian Countryside shop’s dusty window with a price tag still in the Italian old currency, lire.
The bedroom is light and bright: minimalistic with white Resin flooring that bounces light around.
A painting by Maria Aloisi is used as a headboard (the photographer of the house + the designer’s friend).
The huge bedside industrial lamps + the open closet + the scattered workout equipment and paintings are all giving the vibe of a practical private space with zero pretense and are true to the designer’s eclectic and casual personality.
To even emphasize the casual identity, what separates the living room from the bedroom is a simply designed curtain.
The only space with a door is the bathroom, which right next to the bedroom.
The bathroom is even more dressed down than the bedroom; the lights next to the vanity (and right outside the bathroom door) are simple neon lights, yet their effect is not as dressed down as their concept.
The shower is big, open, and very simple; he only used mortar and paint to cover the walls.
Every home has to have a dinning area, but Marcantoni didn’t want it in any way formal.
He created asymmetrical enclosed Porch with Glass walls for the dining area. The glass walls gave it a sun-room feeling, where him and his friends can gather around a meal in the midst of the greenery peaking in.
The chandelier he chose for the dining area is the Zettel’z chandelier (designed by Ingo Maurer); it comes with customizable note papers where Marcantoni’s friends can leave him notes after a dinner party or an event, which he loves to read.
Marcantoni even designed the table himself, and no table leg is like the other.
His choice of siding preserves the identity of the garage and completes the industrial feel of the house.
And then we have Max (the designer’s partner), with another place for gathering with friends outside the house behind him.
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